Rescued a 10 yo leo. Came with a 50 gal tank (nice). It had One hide that was a fake volcano thing that it slips into through a break in the creamic. It's not a true hide. It had A hot rock. Sand. Heating Pad that was kept in the tank. It was feed 12 crickets that were thrown into the tank once a week. Also there was a little water dish. No calcium, No Red light for extra heat, No thermometer to measure temp and humidity. How she lasted so long is a miracle.
Here is what I did/do
I took out the Under the Tank heating pad (that was in the tank) and put it Under the Tank. I took out the Hot Rock and threw it away I took out the sand and replaced it with one half the tank in paper towel and one half the tank in lizard carpet. I made one tupperware hide filled 1/2 way with moist peat moss for a wet/warm hide (smoothing down the edges), I got two half logs and put them mid-way in the tank, and bought one large hide that looks like a rock /cave you can open (for the cool side). I put in peat moss around the edges of the tank and I sprayed it with water. I put in a digital thermometer and am keeping the hot side at 84-90 degrees and 40% humid. I take her out of the tank to feed her in a separate tank where I release about a 10 gut loaded dusted crickets at a time and let her feed until she refuses food every other day.
Here's the problem - it's sort of obvious. She is freaking out. It's all too new. It's been about two weeks though and it's not getting better she's getting worse. Instead of pooping in the corner where she used to (in the sand) now she poops in her fake mountain (the hollow thing she crawls into through a crack in the ceramic. It stinks in there and she hides in there all the time. I have to pry her out of there to feed her and it reeks in there of pee. It's the last thing she has of her old cage and I hate to remove it but I think I have too because it's not healthy and I'm afraid she will cut herself on the crack she is squeezing through. I'm going to try to up load photos of it for your review.
PLEASE someone save her from my good intentions. I know I did the right things, but well an 8 year old gecko maybe can't get used to all this change? Should I bring the sand back? Should I let the crickets back into her cage to feast on her poop? I don't know what to do? Please help. She's totally plastered up inside her space mountain and won't come out - she needs your help.
Here is what I did/do
I took out the Under the Tank heating pad (that was in the tank) and put it Under the Tank. I took out the Hot Rock and threw it away I took out the sand and replaced it with one half the tank in paper towel and one half the tank in lizard carpet. I made one tupperware hide filled 1/2 way with moist peat moss for a wet/warm hide (smoothing down the edges), I got two half logs and put them mid-way in the tank, and bought one large hide that looks like a rock /cave you can open (for the cool side). I put in peat moss around the edges of the tank and I sprayed it with water. I put in a digital thermometer and am keeping the hot side at 84-90 degrees and 40% humid. I take her out of the tank to feed her in a separate tank where I release about a 10 gut loaded dusted crickets at a time and let her feed until she refuses food every other day.
Here's the problem - it's sort of obvious. She is freaking out. It's all too new. It's been about two weeks though and it's not getting better she's getting worse. Instead of pooping in the corner where she used to (in the sand) now she poops in her fake mountain (the hollow thing she crawls into through a crack in the ceramic. It stinks in there and she hides in there all the time. I have to pry her out of there to feed her and it reeks in there of pee. It's the last thing she has of her old cage and I hate to remove it but I think I have too because it's not healthy and I'm afraid she will cut herself on the crack she is squeezing through. I'm going to try to up load photos of it for your review.
PLEASE someone save her from my good intentions. I know I did the right things, but well an 8 year old gecko maybe can't get used to all this change? Should I bring the sand back? Should I let the crickets back into her cage to feast on her poop? I don't know what to do? Please help. She's totally plastered up inside her space mountain and won't come out - she needs your help.